EGYPT HOSTS THE FIFTH SESSION OF THE JAPAN ARAB DIALOGUE

The fifth session of the Japan - Arab Dialogue was held in Alexandria, Egypt, on 19 November 2007 with the participation of delegations from Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Japan; the previous sessions of the Dialogue were held in Tokyo in September 2003, in Alexandria in 2004, in Riyadh in 2005, and again in Tokyo in 2006.

The participating delegations of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Japan to the fifth session of the Dialogue were headed by Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria, Mr. Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, member of the Saudi Shura Council, and Mr. Taro Nakayama, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, respectively.

The fifth session of the Dialogue focused on reviewing three primary topics: the political situation in the Middle East, the avenues of enhancing economic cooperation between Japan and the Arab world, and the promotion of Japan-Arab cultural relations.

In this context, participants exchanged views on the recent political developments vis-a-vis Palestine and the Middle East peace process, Iraq, Iran, nuclear proliferation in the region, and terrorism; they also discussed means to expand the existing trade relationship between Japan and the Arab world, increase the flow of bilateral investments between the two sides, assist in human resource development in the Arab world, and enable Arab countries to harness the latest technologies in areas such as renewable energy, new materials and biotechnologies; and in the cultural sphere, participants examined how to expand cultural exchanges between Japan and the Arab world and establish new strategic and applied research partnerships in selected fields. They also recommended establishing more programs of Japanese studies in the Arab world and of Arab studies in Japan, as well as intensifying efforts in the translation of academic and literary works in both the Japanese and Arabic languages.

At the conclusion of the fifth session, the participants agreed to hold the next meeting of the Japan-Arab Dialogue in Saudi Arabia, at a time and venue to be decided between the three participating countries.